Fashion Cents: 5 Tips for Successful Consignment Shopping

Obviously you love designer pieces but you look for them at discounted prices. That's why you visit the Stiletto Jungle since they share the best deals on the web with you and you get to stay up-to-date on all of the online flash sales. Well, here's another way to get designer items without breaking your bank -- consignment shopping.

I can hear your objections already but "don't knock it if you haven't tried it!" If you shop the right consignment stores, you can get great merchandise in almost new condition (in some case it is still new) like mint condition Prada pumps for only $150 (example only, clearly prices vary). So how can you successfully shop consignment shops? Here are 5 tips:

Pick the right consignment boutique (hint: the neighborhood matters);

Shop in season, don't go looking for wool coats in the middle of summer;

Take a list, otherwise you might end up buying things you don't need and that's a waste of money;

Take your time, there is lots to go through; and

Try EVERYTHING on, there are no refunds!

Now that you know how to shop consignment stores, here are a few places to check out:

This post was first published on May 31, 2011. It has since been updated.

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Kimberly Turner, your personal style guru, is a contributing writer for Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle. Kimberly has an MBA from the University of Michigan and an Image Consulting Certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Kimberly lives in the Windy city of Chicago and is the host of FashionCents.tv.